Coffee Shots
by BlueEyedPhan
Summary: How did Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger get together, you ask? Well, it began in the rain and it began with coffee and a competition proposal.
1. The Coffee Shot

It began in the rain, and it began with coffee and a competition proposal.

X x X

Hermione trudged through the sheets of rain that were currently being dumped unceremoniously on the city of London, her wet hair sticking to her skin and droplets of water sliding down her face. Her lime-green umbrella wasn't doing a very good job of shielding her from the weather, and she was desperately walking to a decent cafe to get out of the rain.

A crack of lighting split the sky in half and as Hermione turned to watch the fork of light, the clouds shook with thunder.

A tap on her shoulder.

"Why, hello, Granger."

She whipped around, water spraying from her hair as she turned, to face the person from which that oh-so-familiar voice had come from.

"Malfoy."

"You look a little damp, Granger. Care to join me inside this glorious little cafe?"

Hermione squinted at the Slytherin. "Only to get out of this rain, Malfoy."

He smirked, that famous smirk. "Certainly."

They entered the cafe together, Hermione standing well away from Draco warily. They watched as a balding man with dark bags under his eyes and pale, sickly sick grabbed a disposable cup of coffee as soon as it hit the counter and dashed out the door, boiling liquid slopping over the sides. Hermione snorted quietly and Malfoy glanced down at her, suppressing a grin.

"He seemed a tad rushed," Malfoy said, smirking again.

"That coffee looked dangerously hot. I'm concerned for his wellbeing, to be honest," Hermione said, her eyes wide and innocent, but full of mirth.

"Oh, I reckon I could handle it. I consider myself an expert at coffee-drinking."

A crease formed between Hermione's eyebrows and she turned slowly towards Malfoy. "Is that a challenge, Malfoy?"

He expertly raised one eyebrow. "Well, if you think you even have a chance, Granger, then certainly."

The corner's of Hermione's mouth turned upwards slightly and she exhaled. "Oh, I definitely think I have a chance, Malfoy. First to down a hot coffee wins."

"What shall be the prize, do you propose?" Malfoy asked, his voice tinged with a hint of annoyance at her comment. As if _he_ would be beaten by a girl.

"We'll decide on that later," Hermione said simply, before spinning on her heel and walking up to the counter.

"Two regular cappuccinos, please," she said politely, before handing over eight Sickles and heading over to a small table in the corner of the cafe. It had two seats.

X x X

"First to chug the whole cup wins." The pair stared each other down, each clutching their hot mug in anticipation.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"CHUG!"

Hermione quickly pushed her hair up out of her face and lifted the mug, tipping it up until her lips touched the rim. The boiling coffee burnt her tongue and scorched her throat, but she barely noticed. She was utterly determined. No way was she going to lose to a Malfoy.

No way.

There was a loud thud as the empty mug hit the table. Malfoy finished his last painful mouthful and stared in pure horror as Hermione wiped the remnants of foam off her face defiantly, her smirk just about splitting her face in half.

Two words.

"I win."

Little did Malfoy know that those two words would spark one of the most heated competitions known to wizard and coffee-drinking kind alike.

How wonderfully lucky for him.


	2. A Rematch

Hermione barely noticed as the door to her office clicked open and a figure stalked in until two hands slammed loudly down onto the desk, at which point her head snapped up violently and her eyes widened. She first noticed the slim, long-fingered hands that led to pale arms, which led to a pair of glaring grey eyes.

"I want a rematch," Malfoy said harshly.

Hermione was shocked. "How did you even get in here, Malfoy? This is supposed to be a top secret department!"

He scoffed. "Everyone knows where the Auror department is."

Hermione rolled her eyes dramatically. "You know what I mean. The intelligence side of the Auror department is supremely confidential. We're the behind-the-scenes Aurors who do the information-gathering and technological work. No one is supposed to know where _our_ side of the office is."

"Well, Miss Head-Of-Intelligence, looks like you need to work on your security. In the meantime, meet me at the Coffee Shot in one hour."

Hermione blinked. "The what?"

"The cafe we went to yesterday. The rain must've addled your brain a bit, dear Granger. See me there at 1."

And without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heel and swept from the room, not bothering to shut the door.

"Prat," Hermione muttered.

X x X

Malfoy ran an uneasy hand through his fine hair and watched through the gaps in his fingers as Hermione smirked at him, her coffee cup once again empty but for the dregs of foam clinging to the edges.

"Mr Malfoy, I believe I have beaten you again." Her sentence was spiked with an undercurrent of laughter.

"I guess I'll just have to keep knocking on your office door until I win, then," Malfoy said gruffly.

Hermione shot him a look that could kill. "You can't reveal the location of my office to _anyone_, okay, Malfoy? Because if you do, I can track you down. That's my job."

Malfoy's eyes widened slightly, but his expression remained neutral.

"And I can get my boyfriend to help me with that."

This time, Malfoy actually couldn't keep a straight face.

"You're _dating_ the Weasel?! Wow, Granger, never thought you had the guts! You're really stepping up in the wo-"

His sentence was cut short as Hermione's wand was pointed directly at his throat, the end of it grazing his skin.

He gulped.

"Don't you dare do this, Malfoy. If this is going to be a thing, we have to make it work. No stupid comments about stuff that we argued about in school or anything like that. You're nearing 21 years old, Malfoy. Have some goddamn respect."

Malfoy held her gaze stubbornly for a few seconds before his eyelids dropped and he looked down, eyelashes brushing his cheekbones.

"Fine. It was a stupid thing to say." He looked up a little and noticed her hard expression fading slightly.

"As long as we can stay civil, which we should be able to do, we can make this competition work. Okay?" Hermione said sternly.

"I'll meet you here tomorrow at 1," Malfoy said, holding back his grin.

Hermione exhaled and her mouth quirked up at the sides.

Malfoy leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "So, Granger, how do you know how old I am?" He asked, raised his eyebrow and laughing inwardly as he watched her struggle for words.

"It's just a thing I have. I remember birthdays and dates really easily. Nearly everyone I know's birthdays are permanently stored in my mind," she said.

"Oh, really?" Malfoy asked, smirking. "When's my birthday?"

"June 5th, 1980," she said immediately, before blushing slightly.

"Wow, that's impressive," Malfoy said, trying to hide his surprise. "So you can really remember everyone's birthdays?"

Hermione nodded, smiling. "I can even remember a girl's that I went to Muggle school with when I was 6, called Lucy. But that might be because she had the same birthday as me."

As they had already paid for their coffees, Malfoy stood up and gestured for Hermione to as well, which she did. They began to walk towards the door.

"So when's her birthday, then? You have to prove it," Malfoy said, looking down at Hermione.

"September 19th, 1979," she replied, avoiding his eyes.

Malfoy stopped walking and turned to face her slowly. He stared.

"You're older than me?! W - what the hell!" he exclaimed. "I am literally a whole foot taller than you and you're older than me!"

Hermione tried to look stern, but it was ruined by the laughter in her eyes. "I object to that description," she said, pointing a finger at him. "How tall are you?"

Malfoy scoffed. "I'm 6'5"! And I guarantee you that you are not an inch over 5'5". Don't lie to me, Granger."

Hermione sighed and looked down. "I'm only 5'5", yes."

Malfoy patted her head, smirking. "Poor little Granger," he said, before she swatted his hand away.

They stepped out the door, arguing about age and height and little things like that.

"Goodbye, Granger."

"Goodbye, Malfoy."

They turned and walked in opposite directions, each missing the moment when the other would glance back for a second before continuing on their way.

"As if she's 21 already."

"As if he's 6'5"."

They both knew they were wrong, but they persisted anyway.

Oh well.


	3. Walk in Hyde Park

Malfoy held his head in his hands in utter shame as Hermione bit her lip to hold back her laughter. He had been desperately clinging onto the last slivers of hope that 'three times was a charm', but that stupid superstition did nothing to help his situation. She had won again.

He checked his watch.

1:12pm.

"We still have a little while till our lunch hours are over,' he said, not daring to look her in the eye after the horrendous defeat he had just suffered.

He hadn't even gotten to the halfway point of the cup when she announced her win.

Malfoy suspected she had been training in secret. That little cheat.

"Want to take a walk in the park?" Hermione asked politely, straining to keep her laughter under control.

"Sure," Malfoy said, rising from his chair and leaving the cash on the table before pushing open the door and stepping outside of the small cafe.

X x X

"So, what do you even do these days?" Hermione asked conversationally, tucking a stray curl behind her ear as they walked through Hyde Park.

Malfoy exhaled. "I work in St Mungo's," he said, the wind blowing his silvery hair slightly over his eyes. "I'm a Healer."

The brunette was impressed. "Congratulations. That's a very honourable position to work in," she said, offering him a small smile.

"Says the girl who is Head of Auror Intelligence," Malfoy shot back mischievously.

Hermione glared at him mockingly, then looked away. "We barely even know each other, Malfoy," she said, glancing up at his blank expression. "We should do a quick-fire answer game, like in those talk shows."

Malfoy stared at her. "What's a talk show?"

"You know, those shows on TV where they do interviews and things?"

Silence.

Hermione sighed. "Don't worry, I forgot you're the person least likely to know that. I'll start."

She thought for a moment.

"Did you ever have a crush on Pansy at school?"

Malfoy grimaced and looked down at her. "Not a chance. We've known each other since we were babies, and I don't think I'd be able to even think about her that way. She's the same. I know it doesn't look that way, but, hey," he said, shrugging his shoulders slightly, "us two were in opposite houses, so there wasn't much room for observation.

Hermione was surprised at his answer, but not unhappy. "Your turn," she said.

"Did you ever regret hitting me?" His expression was dead serious.

Hermione laughed, a sweet chiming sound that echoed through the empty park. "Yes and no."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"It was the best day of my third-year-self's life, and I thought that you deserved it, 100 percent. I did regret it a little, afterwards, though."

"Why?"

"Because it really hurt my hand!"

Malfoy stopped walking and began to laugh and laugh. "It hurt your hand?!" he squeezed out between chuckles, watching her with intense amusement.

"Yes!" Hermione said defiantly. "And I did feel a little guilty for punching you. You were only an annoying 13-year-old boy, after all."

Malfoy managed to look offended through the laughs. "You weren't much better, Granger!"

Hermione looked at him. "I'm older than you, remember? I was a mature 14-year-old, who shouldn't have lowered herself down to that idiot's standards." She winked at him.

"But it still felt really good."

Malfoy tried to glare at her, but failed. "Wow."

"What?"

"Your answer. Best laugh I've had in a long time." the blonde said.

Hermione looked up at him. "It must be hard in that sort of occupation, considering your… past." Malfoy winced.

"There was a lot of prejudice at the beginning, but it's gotten better over time." Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry I brought that up. I won't judge you, Draco."

He nodded and closed his eyes in silent appreciation.

Hermione smiled and checked her watch.

1:32pm.

Crap.

"Draco, we're late! Quick, I have to get back!" Hermione exclaimed loudly. She grabbed his wrist roughly and dragged him towards the pathway, running as fast as possible whilst holding onto a reluctant Malfoy.

Draco began to run, realising what she had said.

Crap, indeed.

"Hurry up, ferret!"


	4. Movies and Muggles

**Hello everyone! **

**Here's the next chapter. This one is significantly longer than the others, because those were more character-building, and I knew exactly what I wanted to happen in this one. **

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! By the way, notice the irony in the movie Hermione chooses ;)**

**BTW: I realise that A Thousand Years came out after this, as did all of the songs that I'll be using in this fic (I think), but it fit her and Ron's relationship status and was cute, so I used it anyway. **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I'm not JK, otherwise this would be a lot better.**

Draco walked briskly through the fresh spring air of London, his hands in his pockets and the wind blowing his hair to one side. His face currently had one gigantic smirk planted on it, and Draco had to resist the urge to whistle.

He thought back to earlier in the day:

"You did not."

"I did too, Granger."

"How?"

"You're not the only one who's been training in secret, Granger. And I believe that, since this occasion is so terribly momentous, that I should be catered for at dinner tonight. Do you agree?"

"Fine. Come by my flat at around 5:30ish. I'll make us dinner. Here's my keys, in case I can't answer the door."

A jingling set of house keys were passed between two hands.

"Thank you, Granger. See you then."

"I still can't believe you won!"

Yes. Draco Malfoy, alleged ferret, attractive blonde and coffee-drinking extraordinaire, had won the daily coffee competition between himself and Granger, for the first time since they had started it two weeks ago.

You heard correctly, my friends.

Hermione had lost, for the first time, to the Slytherin. And he definitely didn't let it go unnoticed.

So here he now was, walking in the direction of Hermione's flat while she cooked him dinner. He chuckled to himself, feeling particularly self-important.

Life ruled.

X x X

Draco eventually arrived at the humble home of Hermione Granger. He strutted up to the front door, inserted the key in the hole and was just about to unlock the door when he heard an even, sweet sound coming from inside the house.

He slowly turned the key and opened the door.

What Draco faced inside was a hallway, filled with photo frames featuring Potter, the Weaslette and various other Weasleys, what he assumed to be her parents, some younger pictures from her childhood and countless images of her and the Weasel together. He scowled.

Draco slowly stepped into the living room and saw where the sound was coming from.

There was a black box sitting on top of some sort of chest of drawers, or something, with long black and grey ropes trailing from it and connecting to a white square on the wall. A few comfy-looking couches were placed haphazardly throughout the room and a fluffy scarlet rug sat on the floor. It was quite a bold room, with the walls alternating in red and white and the floor made out of timber. One whole wall of the room was dedicated to a huge, sheek, black grand piano. A small, cushiony seat was located in front of the piano, and on this seat sat a certain Hermione Granger. And the sweet sound Draco had heard before was coming out of her mouth.

_Heart beats fast_

_Colours and promises_

_How to be brave_

_How can I love when I'm afraid_

_To fall_

Draco watched blankly as Hermione's fingers drifted like air across the keys of the piano, her singing filling the room.

_But watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer_

The corners of Draco's mouth began to turn up slightly as he watched her sing, her bushy brown hair concealing her face from him.

_I have died every day waiting for you_

_Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_And all along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

Draco cleared his throat awkwardly, and Hermione jumped, looking at him in surprise.

"Draco! I'm so sorry, I didn't even realise you were here!" she said, standing and busying herself with packing up her piano.

"Since when could you sing, Granger?" Draco asked.

Hermione looked at him. "I've been playing and singing since I was 5 years old," she told him.

"That was incredible," Malfoy said, watching as Hermione's cheeks coloured pink.

"Thank you," she said, offering him a small smile. "I was just practising then, but music is my outlet. It's how I get emotions out, how I express things."

Draco nodded. "I pace. If I'm worried about something, I'll walk around the Manor for hours."

A loud beeping from the kitchen suddenly interrupted their conversation.

Hermione smiled. "That'll be the bolognese," she said, walking towards the hallway. She was almost out of sight before she turned around and said politely, "Feel free to make yourself comfortable."

A few minutes later, Hermione came back into the room, carrying two steaming plates of spaghetti bolognese. "Nothing like a good home-cooked meal," Draco said, grinning as she handed him his bowl. He inhaled, closing his eyes and revelling in the delicious aroma wafting up to his nostrils.

"What would you like to watch?" Hermione said, curling her legs up underneath her on the couch and looking over at Draco. He frowned at her.

"Sorry?"

Hermione put her plate down and turned to face him properly. "Are you telling me you've never watched TV? Never seen a movie?" Seeing Draco's helpless expression, she laughed.

"Draco, this is a television, or TV for short," she said, standing up and walking over to the aforementioned black box. "You can watch things on it, like movies, or TV shows." She looked at him. "Do you know what a play is, Draco?"

Draco glared at her. "Do I look like a four-year-old? I'm not stupid, Granger."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, a movie is like a play, but instead of seeing it live, you watch it on the TV. It's like a really really long photo, with sound." She noticed that Draco seemed less confused, so she turned away from him and bent down to select a movie for them to watch. She scanned the titles until her eyes fell on a particular movie. She smiled. "Perfect."

X x X

"What's it called?" Draco asked impatiently, watching Hermione slot the weird circle-shaped disc into another, smaller black box, this time lying flat.

"10 Things I Hate About You," she replied, smirking at him. She stood up and walked back over to her seat, sitting down and picking up her plate of spaghetti.

"What a great choice for our past situation," Draco said, pointing out the obvious.

Hermione pressed play on the remote and Draco watched in amazement as noise began to come out of yet _another_ black box next to the wall, and the 'movie' that Granger had told him about began to play.

At some point near the end of the movie, Draco glanced over at Granger and was shocked to see that a tear was rolling down her cheek and that she was noticeably trying to hold in more. Granted, the scene was quite emotional - Kat was reading her poem to Patrick - but it still surprised him. He was thoroughly enjoying the 'movie', however, so he turned back to watch the rest.

Once the film had ended, Draco looked over at Hermione again. "That was so cool!" he said excitedly. "How do noise AND pictures come out of the black box at the same time?" Hermione laughed. "Here, let me take your plate," she said, standing up and reaching a hand out towards him.

He shook his head. "I'll clean up," he said, taking her bowl out of her hands and picking up his own. He walked out of the room with the plates in his arms, not giving her an opportunity to reject the offer. Draco glanced back and smirked when he saw Granger standing in the middle of the room, her mouth hanging open.

A quick _Scourgify_ and the dishes were clean. However, Draco was so extremely fascinated by all the strange Muggle things lying around that he didn't go back into the room straightaway. He walked over to the huge white box sitting opposite him and noticed a handle on what appeared to be the door. He opened it. Inside was a massive variety of food. Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his head. God, if this was the way Muggles lived, he could definitely get used to it.

He spent the next twenty minutes wandering around Hermione's kitchen, marvelling at all the foreign objects and wondering what they did. He spent nearly a whole third of that time playing with a weird box that had two slots in it, and that had levers on the front that turned on hot red lights inside the slots when he pushed them down. There was writing on the side of the box that said... 'Toaster'?

When he finally realised that Hermione was still waiting for him, he rushed back into the living room, but was greeted with silence. "What - Oh," he said, looking around the room until a look of recognition passed across his face. Hermione was asleep on of the couches, a book lying open on her stomach and her mouth hanging open. He chuckled to himself.

Draco wondered what he should do for a few moments before striding over to Hermione and conjuring a soft blanket out of thin air. He didn't want her to be cold, because then she wouldn't be able to go to the Coffee Shot tomorrow and he wouldn't be able to beat her again. He didn't want that!

Draco wrapped the blanket around Hermione and tucked it in at the corners, before dimming the lights with a flick of his wand and walking out of the room quietly.

_Thank you, Granger. _

He closed the front door, grinning to himself.

That was fun.

_**The next day**_

"Hah! I knew it was a fluke, you prat! I win, again!"

Dammit.


	5. A Date and a Decline

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been busy with schoolwork, but now we don't have any assessments left, so I'll try and post more regularly. The next chapter will probably go up around Thursday (in Australia). Thanks for the reviews! I really do appreciate it.**

**This chapter is kind of a filler, but it needed to happen, so I just did it.**

**_Question_: Has anyone seen Potted Potter? I watched it last night and it was absolutely HILARIOUS! **

Hermione opened her eyes groggily and looked around her bedroom. Thank God it was a weekend. The week had been extremely busy, and now she had a chance to sleep in.

After nearly pulling a few muscles while having a morning stretch, Hermione stood up and went into the kitchen. She pulled a couple of eggs and some diced bacon out of the fridge and placed them on the island bench before fetching a container of basil out of the cupboard.

She picked up her phone and dialed the number that was as familiar to her as the back of her own hand.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ron," Hermione said sweetly, holding the phone in place with her head whilst whisking the eggs in a bowl.

"Hey, darling. I missed you loads," he replied immediately, and she could hear the change in his voice even through the handset.

"How was your trip?! I'm still so jealous, I've heard the views in Santorini are to die for!" Hermione could practically hear the smirk in his tone when he replied.

"It was incredible. Harry and I didn't get many breaks, but we did go cliff-diving," he said, and Hermione groaned. It was her dream to go to Greece, and Ron and Harry had been there for the past three weeks on Auror duty - must to her envy.

She sighed longingly and continued. "Since I don't have work today, I was wondering if you wanted to come to lunch with me in Hyde? Maybe Harry could come as well, I've missed him too."

"That'd be great, Hermione, but maybe it should just be us two. I haven't seen you in three weeks and I think we need some alone time for a bit. Harry might faint if he tags along," Ron said, his laughter rumbling through the phone.

Hermione chuckled. She put down the whisked eggs and twisted her finger through the phone cord. "Okay. See you at 12, then. Don't be as late as you were last time."

"I won't," was Ron's only reply.

Hermione just smiled. If she could, she would bet someone 50 Galleons that he would be at least 25 minutes late.

Oh well.

X x X

Hermione turned on her stove and poured in a drizzle of olive oil. She was just about to put the bacon in the pan when a huge owl flew through the window, it's wings stretched and yellow eyes glowing. Hermione nearly dropped the bacon and hurried over to where it had landed. She quickly grabbed a piece of apple from the kitchen bench and held it up to the owl warily, as a sort of peace offering. The owl eyed the fruit cautiously, then dropped the letter onto the bench before snatching the apple out of Hermione's hand and flying away.

Hermione stared.

She opened the letter and began to read:

_Granger,_

_Are we still on for the coffee competition today? I mean, if you don't want to continue because you can't possibly beat me again, I understand._

_From your most superior coffee-drinker,_

_Draco_

Hermione smiled sadly, then tore some parchment out of her notebook, grabbed a quill and began to write.

_Draco,_

_I am terribly sorry, but I can't make it to the Coffee Shot today - I'm going out to lunch with Ron. Maybe tomorrow we can start it up again?_

_However, if you really think you can beat me again, as you're obviously not including yesterday's loss, I think we need to up the ante. Any ideas?_

_Yours in caffeine,_

_Hermione_

She whistled loudly and another owl flew into the room. She patted it's head fondly and fed it the part of the apple that Draco's ginormous eagle owl hadn't taken.

"Dora, can you please deliver this letter for me? You'll get some more apple when you get home," Hermione said sweetly, holding out the letter. The owl took it in her beak, looked at Hermione with her huge eyes as if to say, 'You'd better,' and flew off without another hoot.

Hermione smiled. She had named her owl Nymphadora, after her friend and war victim Tonks. Dora the owl wasn't as clumsy as the real Nymphadora, though.

X x X

Draco heard the flapping of wings and turned to see Octavius flying towards him. Draco chucked an owl pellet into the air and the owl immediately dropped the letter and chased after his treat.

Draco's eyes scanned the letter and a crease began to form between his eyebrows. They weren't having a coffee competition today, because she was going on a date with the bloody Weasel. Granted, he was her boyfriend, but still. Draco had thought they had had a tradition going.

Draco then shook his head and tossed the letter onto the bench. 'What does it matter?' he thought. 'She said she'll be there tomorrow, so go tomorrow. She has every right to go to lunch with Weasley. Get it together. Why do you even care?'

Suddenly, Draco realised that he had thought of Weasley willingly, and not even in a derogatory manner. She really was getting to him.

Goddammit, Granger!


	6. The Boyfriend Is Back

**Hi guys! Again, I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, and I'm sorry that this chapter is Romione, but I hope you still like it. I'll try and upload more often from now on. I've got heaps of spare time on my hands now that it's the holidays, so I'll most likely be more on top of things. Also, sorry if there's any spelling or grammar mistakes. This chapter was kind of rushed. R&amp;R!**

Hermione, wrapped in a warm woollen scarf and wearing black Muggle boots, walked briskly along the footpath that lay along the side of the road. She hummed quietly to herself, replicating the song she had been performing when Draco had walked into the room the other night.

She smiled to herself. She had been incredibly embarrassed when she had realised that he had been watching her sing, but he had been extremely polite and even…. friendly. It was unnerving, but a positive change nonetheless.

Hermione glanced across the road and noticed that she had walked straight past the cafe that she was supposed to be having lunch with Ron at. She turned and exhaled before stepping down off the pathway and making her way across the road.

X x X

At precisely 32 minutes and 15 seconds past 12, Ron Weasley walked through the door of the Nightingale cafe, spotted his girlfriend waiting at a table for two in the corner of the room, began to stumble towards her and was ungraciously stopped by a snooty voice.

"Excuse me, sir, but you haven't requested a table.'

Ron stopped in his tracks before turning slowly to stare at the cashier and sending him a look that could kill.

"I'm here to have lunch with my girlfriend, mate, who is sitting over there reserving a table for us," Ron said stiffly, his ears turning red.

Hermione saw this from across the room and rose from her chair.

"He'll be dining with me today, sir. We're sorry for his lateness, but he's an Auror and their work schedules are tight. We'll be sure to not bother you," Hermione said politely. The cashier nodded slowly before giving Ron a look of distaste and vanishing into the back room.

Hermione grabbed Ron's wrist and pulled him over to their table. She was about to sit down when something pulled her backwards. She whipped around and ended up face-to-face with her boyfriend. She blushed and looked down. "Ron, we're in a cafe. Wait until we finish eating," Hermione said. Ron nodded slowly, before leaning down and planting a kiss on her cheek, dangerously close to her mouth. Hermione closed her eyes briefly before squeezing Ron's hand and sitting down at the secluded table.

X x X

"I thought we were having lunch in Hyde," Ron said as he ravenously tucked into his chicken drumsticks. Hermione screwed her nose up a little - he still never stopped eating - and dug her fork into her pasta, twirling it around with her fingers before pulling the fork out and slipping the spaghetti into her mouth. The taste reminded her of the other night, and she held back a laugh. He was so clueless when it came to Muggle things.

"We were going to, but I thought it would be nicer to have lunch in a cafe for our first time seeing each other in a while," Hermione said. Ron nodded, taking another huge bite out of his piece of chicken. Hermione sighed inwardly. He ate like a pig, but she did love him.

After they had finished eating, Hermione took Ron's hand and together they walked down the footpath that Hermione had been walking on before.

"I still can't believe you went on that trip. How was it?" Hermione asked, trying not to feel too jealous of her boyfriend.

Ron smirked and looked down at her. "It was incredible. We actually had more time on our hands than we thought we would, so we did get to do a bit of sight-seeing," he said.

"Speaking of time on your hands, it sounds like the case wasn't as hard as you thought it would be," Hermione replied, smiling.

Ron nodded. "It wasn't. The guy wasn't a Death Eater, but he was as good as. It was easy to pick up on his trail, though - a couple of suspicious deaths and some not-so-subtle sneaking around and we managed to catch him. He's in Azkaban now, though. Good riddance."

Hermione nodded, but bent her head down and muttered, "Poor guy."

Ron overheard this and stopped walking. "That guy deserved what he got, Hermione. Did you even hear what I said? He killed people!"

Hermione squeezed Ron's hand tighter and answered him quietly. "Please don't yell, Ron. People are looking." An idea popped into her head. "Hang on one second."

Hermione closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Then, she spun on her heel and stepped into darkness, pulling Ron along with her.

X x X

The pair blinked as they adjusted to their new surroundings - Hermione's flat. Apparating was never quite easy to get used to. Once their vision had settled, Hermione turned to face Ron and began to speak.

"I know that man was evil, and I know that he killed innocent people. But no one in this world deserves that torture, that inhumanness and cruelty. Imagine what it's like to lose every happy memory and only be left with despair, Ron. Do you remember when Harry passed out every time he saw a Dementor in third year. It would be like that, but so much more. No one deserves to die like that. I would lose all my memories of you, Ron, because you make me happy."

_Well, not all the memories of him. Just the good ones_, she thought, and immediately chastised herself for it.

Ron's expression softened and he bent down to meet Hermione's lips with his own. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pressed his palms against the small of her back. Hermione tilted her head to the side and kissed him harder as Ron stepped forwards, which caused Hermione's back to hit a lump on the bench.

"Ouch," she whispered, pulling away. Ron looked down at her, concerned, and as she stepped away from the bench, Hermione spotted a power plug that had definitely seen better days. The cord had begun to tear away at the end, and the plug was missing one of the silver prongs. Not to mention the rubber had melted away in sections and there were burn marks on the bench.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Ron exclaimed, looking at the plug as if it was an alien. Hermione stared. She followed the cord up to where it connected to the appliance, which happened to be….. "The toaster," Hermione said, her face cracking into a smile. "Oh, my God." She began to laugh, while Ron just stared at her quizzically.

He had broken the toaster. What an idiot.


	7. An Invitation via Owl

**Hi everyone! Firstly, thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read this fanfic; I'm still getting the hang of how to write both Hermione and Draco. I'm going to try and speed things up a bit - I know it's slow - but I've been trying really hard to make the characters, the dialogue and the story all as realistic as possible. **

**Secondly, I know this chapter is a bit boring, but the next chapter will make up for it - full of glorious Quidditch. **

**Next chapter will be up soon :)**

**QOTD: Would you guys prefer it if I put this A/N at the bottom of the fic?**

X x x

Early on Sunday morning, Draco stepped out of the shower and wrapped a white towel around his lower half. He walked out of his pristine bathroom and was just about to go into his bedroom when he heard an impatient hoot from the kitchen. He made his way over to Octavius, who was waiting for him on the bench, a letter clamped in his beak.

Draco flicked a pellet up into the air and Octavius soared upwards. He dropped the letter like a stone once he was in consumption range of the owl pellet. Using his Seeker skills, Draco swiftly caught the letter before it hit the ground.

Works every time, he thought, smirking.

Draco opened the letter and began to read.

Draco,

You broke my toaster! How many times did you turn it on, you idiot!

I'll have to go and buy another one now.

You and your hopelessness with Muggle kitchen appliances. You're lucky it made me laugh, or you'd have another thing coming.

From fellow coffee consumer,

Hermione the Mildly Annoyed but Mostly Laughing Granger

Draco put the letter down and let out a snort. The Muggles needed to make their so-called toasters more durable if he had broken it. Although, now that he thought back, he had turned it off and on quite a few times…. Oh well.

He smirked as he thought of Granger finding the toaster in the state that he was imagining. And the way she signed off her letter…. she really was a nerd.

He pullled out a quill and began to write.

X x X

Granger,

I apologise for harming your inanimate object that you're apparently so fond of.

As you felt the need to write to me about this problem, I feel obliged to invite you to a Quidditch game later today. Harpies versus Puddlemere. I have two tickets that I was going to give away, but I decided they should be put to better use. I know you don't normally like Quidditch, but Weaslette does play for the Harpies, so I thought I might as well ask anyway.

Owl me back with your answer.

Draco Malfoy, the amazing caffeine drinker

Hermione finished reading the letter and laughed a little at his bluntness. She scribbled out a quick reply - something about her agreeing to come, his generosity and an inquiry as to when he was going to stop using that childish nickname for her friend - and sent Nymphadora on her way.

After spending her morning doing a few chores around her flat, finishing off a document for work and watching a movie, Hermione headed into her room, opened up her wardrobe and searched for an outfit to wear. This was a hard decision, because on one side, there was Oliver Wood playing for Puddlemere United, and on the other, there was Ginny Weasley, soon to be Potter, playing for the Holyhead Harpies.

Hermione frowned for a few moments before pulling out a flowing green singlet with spaghetti straps - what a coincidence - and a pair of light yellow shorts. She pulled on her clothes, chucked her hair back into a ponytail - though of course her hair hated her and a few pieces fell out at the front - and slipped her yellow sandals on.

Today, she was obviously going to stick up for her best friend and going for the Harpies, so she was green and yellow all the way. With a final wave of her wand, her nails were painted a vibrant green.

Hermione walked into her kitchen and grabbed her conveniently-yellow bag, which contained her phone, her money and her wand. She slung it onto her shoulder and promptly turned on her heel to Apparate. Within a second, she had vanished.

X x X

Draco sat down on his couch and waited patiently for Hermione to arrive. He had chosen to wear beige-coloured shorts with a dark blue button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was supporting Puddlemere.

A sharp knock on the door suddenly rang through the house, and Draco got up to answer it. He opened the door and -

"Oh."

Draco looked down at Hermione and his eyes took her in.

"You don't look half bad, Granger."

She rolled her eyes. "What a lovely compliment. Same to you. Oh, and nice choice of pant colour. They're not even yellow!"

Then, simultaneously - "At least I'm going for the right team!"

They stared at each other and Hermione began to laugh.

"Oh, it is on, Draco Malfoy," she said, smiling devilishly at him.

"Go Harpies!"

"Up the Puddlemere!"

It looked like today was going to be interesting, to say the least.


	8. Harpies VS Puddlemere

"The Quaffle is released and the game begins!" The announcer yelled, and the stadium buzzed with excitement as the Quidditch match got underway.

Hermione and Draco each cheered for their teams and waved their memorabilia in the air wildly. "Go Holyhead Harpies! Go Ginny!" Hermione screamed, spilling her popcorn clumsily over the seats. Draco just smirked.

"Harpies Chaser Valmai Morgan in possession of the Quaffle as the match begins. She has been a part of this team for many years, but is an incredible addition to the team, which you can all see as she zips up the pitch. She dodges a Bludger hit by Puddlemere's Simon Lewis - nice save - and aims for the right goalpost - no, that was a fake, she throws the Quaffle into the centre hoop - but no score! Oliver Wood of Puddlemere United has prevented the Harpies from scoring! Still 0-0."

Hermione suddenly gasped and leant down to pull a pair of battered binoculars out of her bag. She had had her Omnioculars for years, but they were still as good as ever. She put them up to her eyes and focused the lens.

"Chaser Nathan Watts now has the Quaffle, and he streaks up the pitch - nice broom work, there, and he is currently flying on the Lightning Striker 6, fastest broom currently on the market. But - oh! He is hit by a Bludger from Gwenog Jones, captain of the Harpies and in her last year of professional Quidditch. Watts drops the Quaffle, and it is caught by none other than Ginny Weasley, fiancee of Harry Potter. They have scheduled their wedding for just after the Quidditch final, in case the Harpies make it to the last match. At this rate, it's unsure what the outcome will be, but the Harpies have some brilliant players on their side, as do Puddlemere. What's this? Ginny has expertly dodged a particularly nasty Bludger from Puddlemere Beater Georgia Owens - very nice Sloth Grip Roll - and is soaring up the pitch at an unbelievably fast pace - could she score? It's between her and Wood now, old school acquaintances as I understand - AND SHE SCORES! 10 POINTS TO THE HOLYHEAD HARPIES!"

Hermione screamed along with the rest of the crowd as Ginny did a quick lap of the pitch. She yelled out to her friend, but Ginny did not see her amongst the thousands of screaming fans.

"You've got this Ginny!" She hollered.

The next 23 minutes cosseted mostly of each team scoring a goal, only to have the other score soon after. The Harpies had maintained a slight lead, thanks to Ginny, Valmai and Willda's incredible Chasing skills and teamwork. The score was currently 140-130.

"Puddlemere's Nathan Watts scores yet again, bringing the score to a tie. 140 points to each team. This match really has been a nail-biter, but we've yet to see much action from the Seek- Speak of the devil! Benjy Williams of Puddlemere has spotted the Snitch and is flying up the pitch! But he needs to be careful, because the Harpies' Camille Grey is hot on his heels. They're nearly neck-and-neck now, Grey barely a foot behind Williams. It looks like Puddlemere's going to win this one, Williams is stretching out his arm - oh my goodness! He has just been hit in the arm by one of the best Bludger shots I've ever seen in my entire career from Gwenog Jones! What a shot! Williams is knocked out of the way, and - CAMILLE GREY CATCHES THE SNITCH! THE HOLYHEAD HARPIES WIN, 290-140!"

The rest of the announcer's speech was drowned out by the deafening roar that erupted from the stadium. Green and yellow flashed around the grandstands and the Harpies Quidditch team did a victory lap, their grins huge and excitement levels high.

Hermione turned to Draco and childishly stuck her tongue out at him. "You lost1 You lost! You lost!"

As she chanted her victory cry at him, Draco suppressed a grin. Here was Hermione Granger in her prime, sticking her tongue out and dancing around Draco Malfoy, of all people, at a Quidditch match! The world really was turning upside down.

"Yeah, yeah, Granger. It's not my fault Williams can't fly faster!"

X x X

They bickered all the way down to the player's tents, until a tall security guard interrupted them.

"Excuse me, do you have someone to see? Otherwise you do not have permission to visit any of the players." He glared at them.

"Ginny Weasley, sir," Hermione said bravely.

"And what is your relation, may I ask?" The guard said. Rather rudely.

"I'm her fiance's best friend," Hermione replied.

The security guard's eyes widened and he stepped back, allowing her to pass. "Miss Granger, you may certainly come in," he said, much more politely.

She blushed slightly and walked past him, Draco trailing after her in stunned silence.

"How come you don't just tell them your name?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't walk to seem stuck up," Hermione said quietly. Draco blinked.

Hermione suddenly caught a glimpse of red hair and she exclaimed, "Ginny!"

The redhead in question whipped her head around, and once she spotted Hermione, she smiled in delight.

Hermione ran towards her friend and enveloped her in a bone-crunching hug. "You were incredible, Ginny! I'm so proud of you!"

Ginny laughed at her friend and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you," she said. "How come you're here? You hate Quidditch."

Hermione laughed. "Normally, but not when my best friend is up there kicking butt. And, well, I got invited to come. Someone had a spare ticket, and I knew you were playing Oliver, so I couldn't refuse."

Ginny looked at her curiously and asked, "Who?" But before Hermione could answer, Ginny had looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened.

"Malfoy?!"

Ginny stared at her friend, too shocked for words. Hermione blushed scarlet.

"Ginny, I know this looks bad, but I can explain," she said, and Ginny crossed her arms over her chest, waiting impatiently.

"We bumped into each other in that storm the other day, and we've been seeing each other ever since," Hermione said. At the look on Ginny's face, she quickly added, "Not like that!"

She frowned slightly. "We sort of ran into each other in a cafe and couldn't get over our competitiveness, so we had a contest and I won. The next day, this idiot came to my office and demanded a rematch -"

"Excuse me, Granger, I did not demand, I requested," Draco said, choosing that moment to appear behind her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He demanded," she assured Ginny, who smirked.

"So, basically, you're like competitive working acquaintances?"

Hermione nodded. Ginny thought for a moment, a calculated look on her face. Then, she sighed.

"Malfoy, I'll give you another shot, but only because you made Hermione go to my Quidditch game when she hates the sport. That's an achievement. But seriously, if you start being horrible, I will not hesitate to Bat Bogey Hex you. Again."

Malfoy's expression remained neutral, but he inwardly winced. God, the girl was scary when she wanted to be.

X x X

After the pair had offered their congratulations to Ginny, they Apparated to Hermione's flat. She led Draco out to the backyard and showed him the scenery. The sun had disappeared behind one of the few fluffy white clouds that sat in the sky like marshmallows. This took away the scorching heat of the day, but allowed the sunny atmosphere to remain.

Hermione gently brushed the grass with her foot before sitting down and crossing her legs. She glanced at Malfoy and patted the grass next to her. Draco sat down beside her curiously. Then, without warning, she collapsed back onto the grass behind her and exhaled loudly.

"I wanted to go cloud watching," she explained, blowing a strand of bushy brown hair out of her face. Draco stared at her, then slowly lowered himself until he was facing the sky.

After a few minutes, Draco decided to speak. "Granger," he said slowly, his voice sounding wary. Hermione thought it was almost as though he thought her insane. "This is peaceful, and all, but what the hell is the point of it?"

This time, Hermione was sure he thought she had gone round the bend. "Cloud watching, Draco." At his silence, she frowned. "You've honestly never been cloud watching?" She heard Draco make a noise in the back of his throat and deduced his answer.

"Well, it's really easy, I used to do it all the time as a kid," she said, raising her arm and pointing upwards. "You watch the clouds and see if you can spot any that look like something. See, look, that huge one over there? The one right next to the sun? It looks like a Hippogriff."

At this, she heard a groan. "Don't remind me of those bloody evil chickens!" Hermione laughed. "It was your own fault you didn't listen, you prat! Buckbeak's a perfectly nice Hippogriff, you just aggravated him with your pigheadedness."

Draco smirked and stared up into the sky. "Okay, you're on," he said, pointing at a tiny cloud near the tops of the trees in the distance. "That looks like a Pygmy Puff."

They fired back and forth, pointing shapes out in the sky and arguing about what they looked like. After a while, the sky began to fade into a rosy shade of orange, and Draco stood up, announcing that he'd better go before it got dark. He stretched out his hand and pulled Hermione to her feet. However, once she was standing, he didn't let go.

"Er," he said, while Hermione watched him patiently. "Er… today was really fun, Granger, and I just wanted you to know that I - er - I enjoy your company."

The brunette smiled appreciatively. "So are we friends? Like officially, I mean."

Draco looked at her for a few seconds. He now had to make a decision. Accept her offer, and put his father in disgrace, or reject it, and live up to the name of Malfoy? But suddenly the name of Malfoy didn't seem like such an appealing thing to live up to anymore….. and he did make her start meeting up with him, technically…..

He shook her hand. "We are friends," he replied, getting used to the feeling of those words on his tongue. He started to think that maybe they weren't so bad, after all.


	9. Confession

Hermione took a deep breath. Ron should be arriving at her flat any minute now, seeing as he was already 16 minutes late, and she was going to confess. Well, not confess, but tell Ron that she was friends with someone who he… might not approve of.

Ginny's reaction to Draco had given Hermione renewed confidence in her friends, and so she had decided to tell the truth from the start (well, as close as possible), rather than bottle up the lies until they became too big for her to handle.

So she had invited Ron over for dinner, and she was going to tell him about Draco. As a precaution, she had told Ginny what she was going to do so she had backup if necessary.

Ginny had come to reluctantly appreciate Draco in the past week, as Hermione had told her about the conversations and competition they had over coffee - which Hermione had won everyday since Sunday and which Ginny was extremely pleased to hear that Malfoy was losing.

There was a sharp rap on the door.

Hermione leapt up from her seat and opened the door. Ron stumbled in, flicking water droplets out of his hair and closing his umbrella.

"Blowing a gale out there," he said to Hermione, who pulled out her wand without a word and caused all of Ron's clothes to dry instantly.

He smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I could've used Impervius, but there was so much wind and water it wouldn't've made a difference anyway."

Hermione smiled and led Ron through the kitchen and to a seat at her table. When they were comfortably settled and had just begun eating their sausages and mashed potato, Hermione spoke.

"Ron, there's… there's something I need to tell you."

Ron looked up, a mess of sausages, potato and peas in his mouth. He quickly swallowed and said, "What is it?"

Hermione set down her knife and fork and took a deep breath.

"Three weeks ago, I started hanging out with M- with someone who you don't particularly like. He has changed, though, I think, and I wanted to be honest with you."

Ron narrowed his eyes. She wasn't telling him something.

"What's his name?"

Hermione winced slightly before replying. "Draco Malfoy."

Ron's eyes widened and he stood up. Hermione sighed. "Ron, don't…"

But he had Disapparated.

X x X

No less than 6 seconds later, Ron reappeared, but he wasn't alone. Next to him stood a disgruntled and shirtless Harry, his hair messier than it usually was and his annoyed expression directed at Ron.

"Harry! It's great to see you, but what on earth are you doing here? And why are you shirtless?" Hermione exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Harry blushed fiercely. "I was… busy," he said, avoiding Hermione's eyes. "And then this idiot turned up and just dragged me away!"

Hermione fought the urge to laugh. "_Ron_! Did you even look to see what Harry was doing!"

Ron turned to the embarrassed Harry, who was trying to flatten his hair. "What were you doing?"

Harry blushed harder and muttered, "Nothing." (**A/N: Any guesses?**)

Hermione smirked and then turned her attention to Ron.

"Why did you get Harry?" she asked, non-plussed, until Ron turned to Harry and half-shouted, "She's been hanging out with Malfoy!"

Harry stared at Hermione. "You _what_?" he said, gobsmacked.

"Harry, it's nothing much, we just meet up for coffee once a day, that's it!" Hermione said desperately, worrying that this was going to turn into a huge argument.

"Why, Hermione?" Harry said, surprisingly calmly.

Hermione half-smiled at Harry gratefully. "I just bumped into him one day and we decided to make it a regular thing. He's changed, not horrible at all."

Harry thought for a moment. He remembered Draco, terrified and alone, during the Battle of Hogwarts, and how he had looked to Harry for help. To Harry, it seemed like Draco was trying to make a fresh start, and to be honest, he'd rather befriend Draco than have to reject him again, and suffer those consequences. Draco, Harry had realised, was not a bad person. He was just a person who had made some bad choices and been taught the wrong things.

"Ron," Harry said quietly, turning away from Hermione, "Malfoy's not like he was back at Hogwarts. Remember how he was during the Battle? That's not someone who hates Muggle-borns and blood-traitors anymore. Narcissa didn't care whether Voldemort won, and I don't think Draco did, either."

Ron glared at Harry. "That's all well and good, but that doesn't mean Hermione has to hang out with him! Wouldn't it be better for us to all leave him out of our lives?"

Harry put his hand on Ron's shoulder and spoke firmly. "Ron," he said, "we were doing that, until Hermione befriended him. We can't ask her to ditch him just because we don't completely agree. I didn't ditch you when you were dating Lavender, even though I could see what it was doing to Hermione. Just let her be, and it'll be easier for the rest of us."

"Ron," Hermione said, looking at him, her expression unreadable. "I love you. Nothing can change that. What does it matter if I'm friends with Dr- with Malfoy? I'm still your girlfriend. I'm still in love with you." She walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. "Alright?" she asked him in a whisper.

Ron buried his face in her hair. "Alright," he replied almost inaudibly.

Over Ron's shoulder, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand tightly and smiled. "Thank you," she mouthed, and he nodded in understanding.

She reached out and pushed his glasses up his nose fondly, a habit she had gotten into since he had gotten his new glasses 2 years before. They were still the same circular shape, but had new black frames and better lenses. At the time Harry had bought them, they had been slightly too big, but he had been far too busy to go get them adjusted. So Hermione had taken to pushing his glasses up his nose, and the habit still stuck, even though the glasses had long been fixed.

As Ron released her, Hermione leaned up and softly pressed her lips against his. She pulled away, smiling, and saw an identical grin on Ron's face.

After pulling Harry into a quick hug, he Disapparated with a smirk. Ron and Hermione returned to their dinner, although Hermione couldn't resist leaning over and pecking Ron on the lips every now and then. He was just too cute.


	10. Cool Head in a Crisis

"Guess what I did last night?" Hermione said, as her and Draco sat down at their regular table in the Coffee Shot.

Draco pretended to think for a moment. "Made out with the Weasel?" he suggested, and smirked as Hermione's cheeks turned scarlet.

"Yes, but other than that?"

Draco laughed.

"What did you do, Granger?" Hermione smiled. "I told Ron about our competition."

Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You did what?"

Hermione smirked. "I wanted to be honest with him, so he wouldn't explode if I told him later. He's okay with it, though, I think."

Draco sat back in his chair lazily. "How the hell did you manage to convince Weasley?"

"He dragged Harry into it - literally - so Harry helped me calm him down. I did have Ginny on call, though, if he needed a bit more convincing," Hermione said.

"You sure have a cool head in a crisis, Granger," Draco said, and watched as a blush crept up Hermione's cheeks. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, well, that's why I chose my job," she said matter-of-factly. "Being an Auror is mostly practical work and tracking criminals, but in my career I can use my brain and provide the information that they need. It's much more interesting, in my opinion, and you do need a cool head to deal with it, but I like it." She smiled.

It was then that their drinks arrived. Hermione seized hers and waited impatiently as Draco purposely took his time grabbing his. They stared defiantly at each other.

"Three. Two. One. GO!" Hermione exclaimed, and raised the steaming mug of coffee to her lips. They drank, and as usual, Hermione won. Draco took a sip of the rest of his coffee in shame, and Hermione watched on smugly.

After their waiter had taken away their mugs, Hermione turned back to Draco.

"It's actually funny that you say that," she said, and Draco watched her blankly. "That I have a cool head in a crisis. I beg to differ. When we were in first year, well, Harry, Ron and I fancied ourselves investigators."

Draco sat up straighter. He wanted to hear this story.

"We went into the third-floor corridor, which was forbidden, and there was a giant three-headed-dog called Fluffy in there -"

Draco spluttered. "A three-headed-dog? Called Fluffy?!"

Hermione waved her hand impatiently. "Yes, get over it. Anyway, long story short, we found out what Fluffy was protecting and how to make him harmless. So, after we put Fluffy to sleep, we jumped down the trapdoor, into a -"

Draco interrupted her. "Wait, what were they hiding?" Hermione laughed. "Seriously, you don't know?" Draco shook his head.

"They were hiding the Philosopher's Stone." Draco's mouth fell open.

"So, we jumped through the trapdoor and landed in what Harry and Ron thought was a safety precaution, but was actually a massive Devil's Snare." Draco rolled his eyes at their stupidity.

Hermione nodded. "I know. So I told them that Devil's Snare likes the dark, and Harry told me to light a fire -" "At least one of them has some sense," Draco said. "- and I freaked out and yelled 'There's no wood!'"

Draco stared at her for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. "There's - no - wood? Honestly - Granger!" Hermione smiled, embarrassed, and said, "Yes, well that's what Ron said!"

Draco looked up, still chuckling. "I guess you don't really have much of a cool head in a crisis, do you?" he said, ignoring Hermione's protests.

After Draco had stopped laughing, Hermione spoke again.

"Since you're a Healer, Draco, would you be able to come by my place tomorrow night? I need help with a case, and since I know you, it'd be simplest if you helped."

"Sure, Granger," Draco said, grinning. He wondered what the case would be, and why Hermione Granger, of all people, needed help. Although, from what she'd told him today, he shouldn't be too surprised.


	11. A Healer's Helping Hand

**Warning: This chapter is a little dark, but not too much :)**

_Draco,_

_Can you please bring _The Healer's Helping Hand_ when you come over later? We'll need it to identify symptoms and things._

_Thanks,_

_Hermione_

Hermione's owl soared out the window as Draco caught and read the letter. He scanned it once, then wandered through the house to the library. Bypassing the older books, which were covered in dust, he went straight to the newer section, which was filled with textbooks on everything from simple cuts and bites to diseases such as dragon pox and spattergroit. Draco had collected every single book he could find in Flourish and Blotts, Malfoy Manor and St Mungo's and placed them in this section of the library, which was strictly out-of-bounds to anyone except him.

He spent the rest of the day carefully selecting which books would be suitable to bring to Hermione's as well as the book she wanted. Finally, he had selected four books to take - _Treating Your Patients: A Guide_, _What To Do When You've Been Hit By A Spell: Medical Edition_, _Bites, Bruises and Everything In Between_, and _The Healer's Helping Hand_.

Draco then conjured a brown leather bag and dropped the four books into it. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a green apple from the fruit bowl and turned on his heel swiftly.

"Granger?" Draco called as he stepped over the threshold of Hermione's flat. There was no reply.

Draco wandered curiously through the house, searching for Hermione, until he walked into the living room and stopped in his tracks. Hermione lay on the couch, asleep, her face partly hidden by bushy hair and her legs curled up. On the coffee table in front of her were pages and pages of notes, some with neat and tidy handwriting, some an unreadable scribble. There were a couple of black and white pictures lying in between the notes.

Draco stared. What on Earth -? He watched silently as Hermione stirred in her sleep, rolling over and revealing her face. She slept on peacefully.

After a few moments, Draco cleared his throat, but Hermione did not notice. He spoke.

"Granger."

She awoke with a start, her hair flying in all directions, her eyes wide. "Draco!" she exclaimed loudly, startled. "I'm so sorry! I've just been up till all hours the past few days, working on this case, and I was so tired, I guess I must've fallen asleep!"

Draco smirked. "It's fine, Granger. What did you want help with?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course. Well, there's been a couple of victims over the last few weeks that have been found by Aurors, and they all seem linked somehow, although we have no idea who's behind it all." As she spoke, she scraped her hair back into a bun with her fingers.

Draco frowned. "Victims?" he repeated.

"Yes. The three people we've found so far have all been found dead. One woman, two men. We're hoping that by finding out exactly how they were killed, we can collect some information and hopefully be closer to tracking down the killer."

Draco picked up the closest piece of paper. He read it aloud. "Victim A, found on England-Scotland border, with visible lacerations to the head, neck, and upper chest, 9 fingers gone, chunks of hair missing, and many minor injuries. Unidentified."

"All the wounds are pretty similar," said Hermione grimly. "Except the girl had a huge chunk taken out of her side." Draco grimaced.

"Lovely," he quipped.

"Exactly," Hermione said vaguely, immersed in notes. "And we haven't identified any of them, so we can't find any more links."

Draco sat up straighter. "Well, the first thing we need to figure out is what killed them." At Hermione's incredulous look, he added, "These injuries are gruesome, but not fatal. They were either tortured first and then murdered, or the killer had a bit of fun once they were dead." Hermione swallowed and nodded.

"Well, I would suggest the Killing Curse, except they've all got pretty blank expressions on their faces. Usually Avada Kedavra leaves them looking horrified. So, I reckon they've been killed with some sort of spell or magical creature, one that doesn't leave many traces. Then it looks like something with very animalistic tendencies has had a go at them."

They spent the evening poring over notes and making suggestions - some plausible, some far-fetched. Draco also made the suggestion of DNA tests.

"But Muggle devices don't work in areas with lots of magic, and we cant exactly haul them off to a Muggle hospital," Hermione said when Draco had made this suggestion.

Draco shook his head. "Not necessarily. I've been working on some things that allow wizards to get their DNA tested. I have been for a while now," Draco said quietly, and Hermione beamed.

"That's amazing, Draco! What sorts of things have you been doing? I can't imagine how you would do it - it's very difficult to invent spells and potions, and there aren't many other pathways…" Hermione said, her sentence ending in a question. Draco remained silent. She switched topics.

"Draco, you do realise you'll have to help me out more than what you have today - although you've been brilliant, I'm very grateful," Hermione said quickly. "But I can't give all these theories on my own and expect to have them verified straightaway. You're going to have to explain them in front of a more qualified Auror than me. One who works out in the field and knows how those situations could come into play." At Draco's slightly confused expression, she sighed. "Draco, there are only a few people who fit that category. Think about it."

Draco's eyes widened and he flopped backwards onto the couch, arms flung over his head dramatically.

"Not Potter!" he groaned.

Hermione laughed. "He's the Head of the whole Department, Draco. He'll listen to what you have to say. Besides, I get the feeling his opinion of you has changed since Hogwarts. Just give it a go. Your ideas are interesting and highly plausible, and I think he'd be very interested in this DNA testing. Please?"

Draco lifted up his arms and contorted his face into the ugliest, most sarcastic and ungrateful expression he could muster. Hermione just laughed and threw her quill at him.

**Hi guys! I've decided to switch my message to down here instead of at the top, asI think it suits a lot of people. I'm really, really sorry I haven't posted in ages - I just didn't know what to write about for this one and Reunion and I've started back at school, which is always a distraction. I'm actually supposed to be finishing my English draft on the Crucible right now, but oh well. I was in the mood for fanfic and so I finished up this chapter that's been a work in progress since January. Hope you enjoyed it! **


	12. A Meeting With The Aurors

"Are you ready for this?" Hermione whispered, facing Draco in the dark. They were waiting for their meeting outside Harry's office in the Ministry. He rolled his eyes. "It's just Potter. Nothing I can't handle."

But he was actually quite nervous. Would Potter put his past aside and take Draco's theories into account, or would he let it cloud his judgement?

Only one way to tell.

Hermione nodded softly and pushed the door open. She walked into the brightly lit office smiling. Draco heard a "Hi, Harry," before the door fell shut again. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Hermione and Harry were seated at a circular table, pages and pages of notes spread between them. Hermione shot him a pointed look and Draco cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Potter," Draco said formally, nodding at Harry. Harry blinked. "Malfoy."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You two are such idiots," she said with amusement. "Get over yourselves."

The two boys stared at her. She laughed. "Draco, this is Harry Potter. You bullied both of us in school and he beat you at every Seeker show-down that you two had." She turned. "Harry, this is Draco Malfoy. You hated him, set his house elf free and his mum saved your life. Are you two chummy now?"

Harry blushed crimson while Draco scowled. He had been a perfectly fine Seeker, thank you very much. "Wait -" Draco's eyes widened. "You're the reason Dobby left? How did you even know he existed?" He asked Harry incredulously.

"He tried to save my life loads of times during second year, and he was a great friend to me at Hogwarts," Harry said. "I gave your dad one of my socks and when he threw it aside, Dobby caught it and he was freed." Draco had to smirk at that.

Harry sighed. "She's right, you know." He stood up and held out his hand. "Let's just - business partners, not enemies?"

Draco nodded and shook the hand that Harry had offered him. "Alright," he said. He pulled the third chair out and sat down at the table.

"Harry, Draco and I went over these cases a lot the other day, and he has some theories that I think are worth investigating. Draco?"' Hermione said, inviting him to speak.

Draco began talking, awkwardly avoiding Harry's eyes. "Like I said to Granger, the injuries sustained by the victims are gruesome, but not fatal. We think that whatever attacked them may have used some sort of spell to murder them and then obviously either attacked afterwards or tortured beforehand. There is the possibility that they were killed and then were preyed on in an unrelated incident, but considering it's happened to all three, that's highly unlikely. Identification would give us a huge lead on why these victims were chosen to be attacked, if the kills were strategic."

Harry stared. "That makes a lot of sense, but there's no reliable way of identifying who the victims were."

Hermione cleared her throat. "Actually, Harry… Draco told me he's been working on a method of DNA testing that can operate in the wizarding world." Harry looked impressed.

Draco blushed. "It's not finished yet," he said dismissively. "Besides, we need to focus on finding out what killed these people, and what attacked them." Harry glanced sideways at Hermione and she shrugged.

For the next hour they studied notes carefully, Draco asking Harry for more information whenever he needed it, the three of them piecing together clues and ruling out possibilities. The tension that had hung heavily in the air since Draco had entered the room began to ease, and Harry found himself open to Draco's suggestions, as did Draco with Harry's.

The clock on Harry's wall chimed sweetly and a nagging voice exclaimed, "If you don't get your butt home soon, your wife is going to hex you!" Draco shot a quizzical look at Harry, but he just rolled his eyes and mouthed, "Ginny."

"It is getting late, we should probably pack up," Hermione announced, and the two men nodded. Draco was just collecting his books when there was a sharp rap on the door. "Come in," Harry called.

Ron Weasley burst into the room suddenly. "Ready to go, Harry?" he asked loudly, before his eyes fell on Draco. He frowned and looked away pointedly. "Just - give me a second - there," Harry said, having managed to pull a folder of notes out from under one of the piles. "You ready, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded as she stuffed books into her bag. "See you two tomorrow," she said. "I'm just going to head home." Ron grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him. He pressed his lips warmly to hers for a few seconds and pulled away, smiling. "Goodnight."

Hermione smiled back. "Goodnight, Ron. Thanks for everything, Harry." He smiled. "No problem, Hermione. And, uh, thanks, Draco, you've actually been a huge help." Harry and Hermione looked at Ron, who scowled and muttered, "Malfoy." Draco smirked and said evenly, "Weasley." Hermione smiled as her and Draco watched the two boys Apparate out of the office. Draco looked at her. "Want to walk with me?"

X x X

"Mmmm, these are always amazing," Hermione said as she slurped her decadent iced chocolate, topped with a mountain of whipped cream and shaved dark chocolate. Draco rolled his eyes at her and took a sip of his latte. It was warm and comfortingly bitter.

Hermione took her green curly straw out of her mouth and looked thoughtfully at Draco. "Why didn't you want to tell me about the DNA testing you've been working on?" she asked Draco, whose cheeks became the slightest bit pink.

"I was embarrassed," he admitted. "I knew that there needed to be some sort of spell invented that could break down DNA and identify people, but there needed to be a larger volume of DNA sample to test than a hair or toenail clipping. I've been developing the spell for about a year and a half - it's only for this sort of use, not paternity tests or anything - but I didn't completely devise the method all by myself. I've been trying to find a way to simplify the potion, but for now you have to cast the spell on Polyjuice Potion so that there's a larger quantity of DNA to be tested."

Draco sighed. "I though you would say it was plagiarism. I didn't want you to think less of me for stealing someone else's potion and claiming it as my own theory." But Hermione was beaming. Draco could see her mind whirring, processing what he'd said. "Draco, that - that sounds incredible! I would never have accused you of plagiarism! Your theory sounds highly logical and if you let me help you out, I think we could have the simplified version of the potion done in no time, and then we can start testing it! I really think you idea sounds great, Draco," Hermione exclaimed excitedly. Draco's mouth turned up at the corners. "Thanks," he said quietly.

They paid for their drinks and kept walking down the dark street. "I really think Harry appreciated your suggestions tonight, Draco," Hermione said. "Well, his weren't half bad either," Draco said. Hermione rolled her eyes and flicked her straw at him, covering the side of his face with cream. He stopped walking and she began to giggle. "One day, your immature self will regret that decision a lot, Granger," Draco threatened menacingly, but Hermione just laughed.

**Hey, people. Sorry I haven't posted in so long, I've had lots of studying and stuff to do. I've got limited wifi but lots of free time on my hands now that it's the holidays, so I've been working hard on both of my chapter pics (Coffee Shots and Reunion) and you should see more regular chapters in the next few weeks/months. I'm trying to incorporate more than just romance into this fic, and that's where the Auror case comes in. I hope it's not to dark for anyone and I'm sorry the DNA testing is so random, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


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